


Aroha

by beaches_at_treasure_island



Series: In which Maori is slaughtered [6]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Feelings, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied Relationships, M/M, Maori, Pining, Pre-Slash, butchered languages, quilson, slade speaks maori, sladiver - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-17 18:57:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3540422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaches_at_treasure_island/pseuds/beaches_at_treasure_island
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slade mulls over his feelings while Oliver is oblivious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aroha

Slade watched Oliver as the younger man plucked the birds he had caught for dinner as Slade himself sharpened his swords. He hummed softly as he went about his work, some song from decades ago, back when the Australian was Oliver’s age or so. Satisfied with the state of his weapons, Slade sheathed and stored them before starting the cooking fire for the birds they would be having for dinner.

Slade added more wood to the small fire as he heard Oliver approach with the meat. “One second, _tamaiti_ ,” Slade said to the other man as he blew on the fire, beckoning it to grow a bit. He stood and set up the spit above the fire, then speared the two birds as Oliver handed them over and hung them over the low flame.

Oliver returned to his prior seat, not too far from the fire, and pulled out a small booklet. Slade observed the kid as he too sat down. Despite the circumstances of his forced isolation to the island of Lian Yu, Oliver looked well. He had begun gaining muscle and losing some of that baby fat left from his years of pampering as a billionaire. His steel blue eyes weren’t deadened anymore; they now sparked with determination and purpose. No longer did Oliver carry around with him an air of gaunt desperation. The boy was focused and resilient. He had one goal in mind, and he planned to fulfill it.

Slade felt that flutter in his chest again that he both cursed and welcomed. He knew it was the wrong place, the wrong time to develop feelings for the Queen heir, but the heart wants what it wants. He wondered how the words would feel on his lips, said aloud, confessing his love to Oliver directly, but refused to say it. Well, not in English, anyway. Slade took a shaky breath, then murmured softly under it, “ _Kei te aroha au ki a koe_.”

Slade was glad that Oliver was too obsessed with his booklet to pay any attention to him as he grinned to himself. The ASIS agent ran his fingers over his lips, feeling the words resting on them. Again he risked those precious words. “ _Kei te aroha au ki a koe, ipo_.”

Unfortunately, in his preoccupied state, Slade had not noticed that Oliver had looked up to hear his words this time.

“Hey, Slade, what are you saying? When you were taken by the fever before, you said that a few times. ‘ _Ipo’_ few times, too,” Oliver inquired curiously.

“Uh, nothing, kid. Really. Just something I...don’t want to forget.” Slade half-lied.

“Oh. I know the feeling,” Oliver replied empathetically before turning back to his book.

Slade sighed and stood to turn the birds around on the spit, feeling more than a modicum of relief.

**Author's Note:**

> Maori to English Translations:  
> Aroha – love  
> Tamaiti – child/babe  
> Kei te aroha au ki a koe – I love you  
> Ipo – lover, beloved, darling
> 
> If I fucked up, please let me know so I can fix it. Thanks. :)


End file.
